Read Online The Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon - Free Book Online
Authors: Georges Simenon
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to the phone: Quai des Orfèvres was on the line.
âDetective Chief Inspector Maigret? â¦Â We have just this moment received a call from Jeumont â¦Â The car has been found there, abandoned across from the train station. We assume that the driver preferred to cross the border
on foot or by train.â
Maigret hung up only for an instant, then asked for the offices of Dumas and Son. He was informed that Carl Andersen had still not shown up to collect his two thousand francs.
When Maigret and Lucas walked past the garage at around three oâclock, Monsieur Oscar popped out from behind a car to ask brightly, âHowâs it going, chief inspector?â
Maigret merely waved at him and continued on to the Three Widows house.
The doors and windows of the Michonnet Villa were shut but, yet again, the policemen noticed the dining-room curtains twitching.
The garage ownerâs cheerfulness seemed once more to
have aggravated the ill humour of the inspector, who was puffing furiously on his pipe.
âNow that Andersen has made a run for itââ began Lucas quietly.
âStay here!â
The inspector entered the grounds and house of the Three Widows property just as he had that morning. In the drawing room he sniffed the air, looked quickly around and noticed wisps of smoke hovering in the corners of the room, which smelled
strongly of freshly smoked tobacco.
Without even thinking about it he grasped the butt of the revolver in his pocket before going upstairs, where he could hear phonograph music and recognized the tango he had played that morning.
The music was coming from Elseâs room. When he knocked, it ceased immediately.
âWhoâs there?â
âThe inspector.â
A short laugh.
âIn that case, you know what to do. I canât let you in â¦â
The passkey did its job again. The young woman was wearing the same clinging black dress as the day before.
âAre you the one who has kept my brother from coming home?â
âNo. I have not seen him since early this morning.â
âThen they must not have had his payment ready at Dumas. Sometimes he has to go back there in the afternoon â¦â
âYour brother has tried to cross the border into Belgium. As far as I know, he has succeeded.â
She stared at him in astonishment â and some disbelief.
âCarl?â
âYes.â
âThis is some kind of test, isnât it?â
âCan you drive?â
âDrive what?â
âA car.â
âNo! My brother has never been willing to teach me.â
Maigret had not taken the pipe from his mouth and was still wearing his hat.
âHave you left this room?â
âMe?â
She laughed. A merry, musical laugh. And more than ever, she was wreathed in what American movies portray as sex appeal.
For a woman can be lovely without being alluring, while other, less classically beautiful women unfailingly inspire desire or sentimental feelings.
Else aroused both: she was at once woman and child, creating her own aura of voluptuous attraction. And yet, whoever looked into her eyes was astonished to find her gaze as limpid as a little girlâs.
âI donât understand what you mean â¦â
âSomeone has been smoking downstairs in the drawing room within the last half-hour.â
âBut who?â
âThatâs what Iâm asking you.â
âAnd how do you expect me to know that?â
âThis morning, that phonograph was downstairs.â
âImpossible! â¦Â How could that â¦Â Wait, inspector! I
hope you donât suspect me of anything! You seem different, strange â¦Â Where is Carl?â
âIâm telling you, he has left the country.â
âThatâs not true! It canât be! Why would he do that? Besides, he would never leave me alone here! â¦Â Thatâs crazy! What would happen to me,
âDetective Chief Inspector Maigret? â¦Â We have just this moment received a call from Jeumont â¦Â The car has been found there, abandoned across from the train station. We assume that the driver preferred to cross the border
on foot or by train.â
Maigret hung up only for an instant, then asked for the offices of Dumas and Son. He was informed that Carl Andersen had still not shown up to collect his two thousand francs.
When Maigret and Lucas walked past the garage at around three oâclock, Monsieur Oscar popped out from behind a car to ask brightly, âHowâs it going, chief inspector?â
Maigret merely waved at him and continued on to the Three Widows house.
The doors and windows of the Michonnet Villa were shut but, yet again, the policemen noticed the dining-room curtains twitching.
The garage ownerâs cheerfulness seemed once more to
have aggravated the ill humour of the inspector, who was puffing furiously on his pipe.
âNow that Andersen has made a run for itââ began Lucas quietly.
âStay here!â
The inspector entered the grounds and house of the Three Widows property just as he had that morning. In the drawing room he sniffed the air, looked quickly around and noticed wisps of smoke hovering in the corners of the room, which smelled
strongly of freshly smoked tobacco.
Without even thinking about it he grasped the butt of the revolver in his pocket before going upstairs, where he could hear phonograph music and recognized the tango he had played that morning.
The music was coming from Elseâs room. When he knocked, it ceased immediately.
âWhoâs there?â
âThe inspector.â
A short laugh.
âIn that case, you know what to do. I canât let you in â¦â
The passkey did its job again. The young woman was wearing the same clinging black dress as the day before.
âAre you the one who has kept my brother from coming home?â
âNo. I have not seen him since early this morning.â
âThen they must not have had his payment ready at Dumas. Sometimes he has to go back there in the afternoon â¦â
âYour brother has tried to cross the border into Belgium. As far as I know, he has succeeded.â
She stared at him in astonishment â and some disbelief.
âCarl?â
âYes.â
âThis is some kind of test, isnât it?â
âCan you drive?â
âDrive what?â
âA car.â
âNo! My brother has never been willing to teach me.â
Maigret had not taken the pipe from his mouth and was still wearing his hat.
âHave you left this room?â
âMe?â
She laughed. A merry, musical laugh. And more than ever, she was wreathed in what American movies portray as sex appeal.
For a woman can be lovely without being alluring, while other, less classically beautiful women unfailingly inspire desire or sentimental feelings.
Else aroused both: she was at once woman and child, creating her own aura of voluptuous attraction. And yet, whoever looked into her eyes was astonished to find her gaze as limpid as a little girlâs.
âI donât understand what you mean â¦â
âSomeone has been smoking downstairs in the drawing room within the last half-hour.â
âBut who?â
âThatâs what Iâm asking you.â
âAnd how do you expect me to know that?â
âThis morning, that phonograph was downstairs.â
âImpossible! â¦Â How could that â¦Â Wait, inspector! I
hope you donât suspect me of anything! You seem different, strange â¦Â Where is Carl?â
âIâm telling you, he has left the country.â
âThatâs not true! It canât be! Why would he do that? Besides, he would never leave me alone here! â¦Â Thatâs crazy! What would happen to me,
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